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1342 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Open Scholarship Practices Reshaping South Africa’s Scholarly Publishing Roadmap

by Reggie Raju, Jaya Raju and Jill Claassen

Publications 2015, 3(4), 263-284; https://doi.org/10.3390/publications3040263 - 08 Dec 2015

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 7643

South African higher education institutions are the largest producers of research output on the African continent. Given this status, South African researchers have a moral obligation to share their research output with the rest of the continent via a medium that minimizes challenges [...] Read more.

South African higher education institutions are the largest producers of research output on the African continent. Given this status, South African researchers have a moral obligation to share their research output with the rest of the continent via a medium that minimizes challenges of access; open scholarship is that medium. The majority of South African higher education libraries provide an open access publishing service. However, in most of these cases this service is via engagement with the green open access route, that is, institutional repositories (IR). Some of the libraries have piloted and adopted gold open access services such as publishing of “diamond” gold open access journals and supporting article processing charges. The experiment with publishing open monographs is a new venture. This venture must be viewed against the backdrop of the need for open educational resources (OERs). OER is an area that is very much in a fledgling stage and is gaining traction, albeit, at a slow pace. The growth of IRs, the growth in support for gold open access including the library acting as a publisher, the experimentation with open monographs, and OERs are all shaping South Africa’s scholarly publishing roadmap. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Open Access)

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129 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Considering Non-Open Access Publication Charges in the “Total Cost of Publication”

by Andrew Gray

Publications 2015, 3(4), 248-262; https://doi.org/10.3390/publications3040248 - 18 Nov 2015

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 13051

Abstract

Recent research has tried to calculate the “total cost of publication” in the British academic sector, bringing together the costs of journal subscriptions, the article processing charges (APCs) paid to publish open-access content, and the indirect costs of handling open-access mandates. This study [...] Read more.

Recent research has tried to calculate the “total cost of publication” in the British academic sector, bringing together the costs of journal subscriptions, the article processing charges (APCs) paid to publish open-access content, and the indirect costs of handling open-access mandates. This study adds an estimate for the other publication charges (predominantly page and colour charges) currently paid by research institutions, a significant element which has been neglected by recent studies. When these charges are included in the calculation, the total cost to institutions as of 2013/14 is around 18.5% over and above the cost of journal subscriptions—11% from APCs, 5.5% from indirect costs, and 2% from other publication charges. For the British academic sector as a whole, this represents a total cost of publication around £213 million against a conservatively estimated journal spend of £180 million, with non-APC publication charges representing around £3.6 million. A case study is presented to show that these costs may be unexpectedly high for individual institutions, depending on disciplinary focus. The feasibility of collecting this data on a widespread basis is discussed, along with the possibility of using it to inform future subscription negotiations with publishers. Full article

170 KiB

Open AccessReview

Do Adolescents Prefer Electronic Books to Paper Books?

by Margaret K. Merga

Publications 2015, 3(4), 237-247; https://doi.org/10.3390/publications3040237 - 11 Nov 2015

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 13124

Abstract

While electronic books offer a range of benefits and may be supposed to be more appealing to young people than paper books, this assumption is often treated as fact by educational researchers. Understanding adolescents’ true current preferences is essential, as incorrect assumptions can [...] Read more.

While electronic books offer a range of benefits and may be supposed to be more appealing to young people than paper books, this assumption is often treated as fact by educational researchers. Understanding adolescents’ true current preferences is essential, as incorrect assumptions can lead to decisions which restrict adolescent access to their preferred book mode. The belief that adolescents prefer electronic books to paper books has already led to some school libraries being expunged of paper books. As adolescents show a higher level of aliteracy than younger children, and regular reading offers a broad range of benefits for young people, it is imperative that school’s decisions around providing access to books are responsive to adolescent students’ genuine preferences. This paper analyses the current and relevant academic research around adolescent preferences for book modes, finding that, at present, the contention that adolescents prefer electronic books is not supported by the available research. In addition, there are a number of issues identified that make analyzing the findings in this area problematic. Future studies in this area are needed before an adolescent preference for electronic books can be unequivocally substantiated. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Publishing - Transformations)

35 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Editors and Journal Startup in the Digital Era

by Andrew Kirby

Publications 2015, 3(4), 232-236; https://doi.org/10.3390/publications3040232 - 12 Oct 2015

Viewed by 3689

Abstract

More has changed in journal publishing in the past twenty years than the previous four centuries. Digital technologies have transformed the submission, review, production and distribution of scholarly materials, with the result that there has been exponential growth in the number of papers [...] Read more.

More has changed in journal publishing in the past twenty years than the previous four centuries. Digital technologies have transformed the submission, review, production and distribution of scholarly materials, with the result that there has been exponential growth in the number of papers published in an expanding roster of journals—some are mainstream, some highly specialized, some are produced by publishers who have existed since printing began and others are produced by small groups with niche interests. [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Challenges of Journal Start-up in the Digital Era)

539 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Challenges of Journal Startup in the Digital Era

by Andrew Kirby

Publications 2015, 3(4), 219-231; https://doi.org/10.3390/publications3040219 - 25 Sep 2015

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 5616

Abstract

This paper aims to contribute to the evolving literature on the new landscape of scholarly journals. It builds on a series of experiences as a journal editor which span the print and digital eras, and focuses on two current activities with new journals. [...] Read more.

This paper aims to contribute to the evolving literature on the new landscape of scholarly journals. It builds on a series of experiences as a journal editor which span the print and digital eras, and focuses on two current activities with new journals. One was designed as a synoptic journal in a broad multidisciplinary field, supported by a commercial publisher; the other a non-revenue journal which aims to showcase the work of undergraduates in the author’s institution. Despite the uniqueness of goals and delivery, some of the experiences—and challenges—have proved remarkably similar. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Challenges of Journal Start-up in the Digital Era)

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Publications, Volume 3, Issue 4 (December 2015) – 5 articles , Pages 219-284

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